12:00 AM

Gunplummer · January 1, 2017, 12:20 AM

Just got in off the porch with the shotgun. It sounded like the first day of small game season 50 years ago. Is shooting at twelve on New Years Eve a PA hillbilly thing, or does it carry over to other states? Been that way since I am old enough to remember.

**Aguila Blanca** · January 1, 2017, 12:34 AM

Never heard of it. Certainly not done around here.

lefteye · January 1, 2017, 01:06 AM

Happy new year to everyone with "triggers" that work!

Edit: Couldn't help it. I'm baby sitting my beautiful, wonderful six month old grand daughter. Probably the best New Year's eve I've every experienced. Her other grandfather is a retired bench rest competitor and her grandfather's brother has a collection I can't ( and should not) describe!

Texas45 · January 1, 2017, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunplummer

Just got in off the porch with the shotgun. It sounded like the first day of small game season 50 years ago. Is shooting at twelve on New Years Eve a PA hillbilly thing, or does it carry over to other states? Been that way since I am old enough to remember.

Not a common or safe practice.
Remember what goes up must come down somewhere.
So unless you have a real large ranch not a good idea.

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brasscollector · January 1, 2017, 06:26 AM

I believe that is how they celebrate in Chicago also

CajunBass · January 1, 2017, 06:41 AM

I've never done it, but I've lived "in town" most of my life. But when I was a kid back in the 50 and 60's people used to do it all the time. 99% of what got shot around here back then were shotguns, so shooting one up in the air wasn't a big safety concern. Birdshot doesn't carry far, and the pellets are light. I can't swear to everyone using birdshot, but it makes sense. They were cheaper than buckshot.

jbarbourtrim · January 1, 2017, 07:25 AM

It's the thing to do here in SE Missouri. That and apparently blow up tannerite at midnight. (Thank you for that my oh so caring neighbors.)

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FITASC · January 1, 2017, 07:52 AM

In town/suburbs/sub-divisions, it is fireworks - out in the rural areas, it is anyone's guess.

ligonierbill · January 1, 2017, 08:30 AM

Every year in Columbus, they have an ad campaign to discourage it, but it's still common. A number of people have been hurt over the years.

BarryLee · January 1, 2017, 03:16 PM

Regrettably it is fairly common in the south. In Atlanta a few years ago a young child was killed sitting in Church by a dropping bullet.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atla...-eve/480076926

P5 Guy · January 1, 2017, 03:40 PM

A tradition in Miami, stupid but done all too often.
Probably other places in Florida too.

johnwilliamson062 · January 1, 2017, 04:37 PM

Always hear a few shots. In a metro area of a few hundred thousand.

Chainsaw. · January 1, 2017, 05:00 PM

No sure around here, cant tell versus the fireworks. I do know my house cleaners husband has shot his mosin into the air on midnight, I politely tried to convince him not to but he is convinced its fine.

I once found a .45 slug in a roof I was replacing un New Jersey, hardly broke though the second layer of comp shingles so its not much of a worry but I would still discourage anyone from doing it with anything besides birdshot.

burrhead · January 1, 2017, 07:03 PM

The bottom line is it's a stupid Bubba thing to do. Oh, and considering there's usually some ethanol involved, needlessly dangerous. Some people need to grow up.

curt.45 · January 1, 2017, 08:49 PM

yeah, some here, woke me up again this year. kinda makes me pucker and worry about my roof but dont think i heard any impacts.

Gunplummer · January 2, 2017, 05:13 AM

How did shotgun go to rifle and handgun?

peggysue · January 2, 2017, 07:02 AM

Big thing with the Hispanics in the Rio Grand Valley. Every year the McAllen TX tv station puts out notices against shooting in the sky on New Years eve.

jhenry · January 2, 2017, 08:53 AM

Folks fire off stuff here on New Years Eve every year. It's one of my favorite traditions. Tell me again how those bullets I fire into the ground can land on folks. I'm missing something here.

johnwilliamson062 · January 2, 2017, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Tell me again how those bullets I fire into the ground can land on folks. I'm missing something here.

Most are firing into the air, not the ground. I wouldn't say discharging into the ground randomly in my area is very safe, especially at night. Quite a few rocks in the soil along with chunks of concrete right below the surface. Not incredibly dangerous, but I wouldn't wantonly do it either.

osbornk · January 2, 2017, 11:52 AM

It's not a thing we hillbillys here in the mountains of Virginia do. We grew up poor and shooting to make noise was a waste. You shot a shotgun only to kill something to eat or to dispose of predators. They still think I am stupid to waste money on target practice. You had a shotgun or 22 rifle and seldom found someone with a handgun because shooting a handgun seldom got us anything to eat.

My Dad was an expert machine gunner and rifle marksman in World War II and I never saw him shoot a gun without hitting his target.

lamarw · January 2, 2017, 12:05 PM

Not so much here in Alabama, the red necks can't see the highway deer crossing signs in the dark.

That is unless they are spot-lighting road signs.

foolzrushn · January 2, 2017, 12:27 PM

I always thought that you were supposed to save some fireworks from the 4th. I think the sky shells??? ( shoot up and one big boom) are popular around here. But some maybe shotguns too.

Gunplummer · January 2, 2017, 01:09 PM

Oh boy! Another "We were so poor" story. When you run out of ammunition, come on up to the coal belt and we will show you how to snare deer and "Fish" for turkeys. We ate half the stuff we caught on our traplines after the hide was off. We were not that hard on them, but some people ate groundhog so often that it is amazing they are not extinct in this area.

osbornk · January 2, 2017, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Oh boy! Another "We were so poor" story. When you run out of ammunition, come on up to the coal belt and we will show you how to snare deer and "Fish" for turkeys. We ate half the stuff we caught on our traplines after the hide was off. We were not that hard on them, but some people ate groundhog so often that it is amazing they are not extinct in this area.

I grew up about 40 miles from the WV coal mines. To snare deer or "fish" for turkeys, the terrain has to be less rugged and steep. We didn't hunt in many areas because if we killed a deer, we not have gotten it out. Outsiders don't understand unless they see it themselves.

**JohnKSa** · January 2, 2017, 06:18 PM

Quote:

I once found a .45 slug in a roof I was replacing un New Jersey, hardly broke though the second layer of comp shingles so its not much of a worry but I would still discourage anyone from doing it with anything besides birdshot.

It seems likely that pistol bullets, if fired exactly straight upwards, will tumble on the return trip and come down with a relatively low velocity--they are unlikely to cause serious injury. If fired on a steep trajectory, rather than fired exactly straight upward, they could come down with considerably more velocity and could be dangerous.

Rifle bullets fired straight up will either tumble on the return trip and be unlikely to cause serious injury or could remain spin-stabilized in which case they could cause a serious injury or could be lethal. If they are fired on a steep trajectory, as opposed to straight up, they almost certainly have lethal potential when they come down.

January 1, 2017, 12:20 AM	#1
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	12:00 AM Just got in off the porch with the shotgun. It sounded like the first day of small game season 50 years ago. Is shooting at twelve on New Years Eve a PA hillbilly thing, or does it carry over to other states? Been that way since I am old enough to remember.

January 1, 2017, 01:06 AM	#3
lefteye Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 1,433	Happy new year to everyone with "triggers" that work! Edit: Couldn't help it. I'm baby sitting my beautiful, wonderful six month old grand daughter. Probably the best New Year's eve I've every experienced. Her other grandfather is a retired bench rest competitor and her grandfather's brother has a collection I can't ( and should not) describe! __________________ Vietnam Veteran ('69-'70) NRA Life Member RMEF Life Member Last edited by lefteye; January 1, 2017 at 01:19 AM.

January 1, 2017, 06:26 AM	#5
brasscollector Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2015 Posts: 526	I believe that is how they celebrate in Chicago also __________________ He may look dumb, but that's just a disguise. -Charlie Daniels

January 1, 2017, 06:41 AM	#6
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	I've never done it, but I've lived "in town" most of my life. But when I was a kid back in the 50 and 60's people used to do it all the time. 99% of what got shot around here back then were shotguns, so shooting one up in the air wasn't a big safety concern. Birdshot doesn't carry far, and the pellets are light. I can't swear to everyone using birdshot, but it makes sense. They were cheaper than buckshot. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

January 1, 2017, 07:52 AM	#8
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	In town/suburbs/sub-divisions, it is fireworks - out in the rural areas, it is anyone's guess. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

January 1, 2017, 12:34 AM	#2
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	Never heard of it. Certainly not done around here.

January 1, 2017, 07:25 AM	#7
jbarbourtrim Member Join Date: July 24, 2016 Posts: 39	It's the thing to do here in SE Missouri. That and apparently blow up tannerite at midnight. (Thank you for that my oh so caring neighbors.) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

January 1, 2017, 08:30 AM	#9
ligonierbill Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2007 Posts: 2,456	Every year in Columbus, they have an ad campaign to discourage it, but it's still common. A number of people have been hurt over the years.

January 1, 2017, 03:16 PM	#10
BarryLee Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2010 Location: The ATL (OTP) Posts: 3,946	Regrettably it is fairly common in the south. In Atlanta a few years ago a young child was killed sitting in Church by a dropping bullet. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atla...-eve/480076926 __________________ A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

January 1, 2017, 03:40 PM	#11
P5 Guy Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2005 Location: Tampa Bay Posts: 1,804	A tradition in Miami, stupid but done all too often. Probably other places in Florida too.

January 1, 2017, 04:37 PM	#12
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Always hear a few shots. In a metro area of a few hundred thousand.

January 1, 2017, 05:00 PM	#13
Chainsaw. Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Issaquah WA. Its a dry rain. Posts: 1,774	No sure around here, cant tell versus the fireworks. I do know my house cleaners husband has shot his mosin into the air on midnight, I politely tried to convince him not to but he is convinced its fine. I once found a .45 slug in a roof I was replacing un New Jersey, hardly broke though the second layer of comp shingles so its not much of a worry but I would still discourage anyone from doing it with anything besides birdshot. __________________ Just shoot the damn thing.

January 1, 2017, 07:03 PM	#14
burrhead Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 1999 Location: Chihuahuan desert, Texas Posts: 1,148	The bottom line is it's a stupid Bubba thing to do. Oh, and considering there's usually some ethanol involved, needlessly dangerous. Some people need to grow up. __________________ Join the GOA, SAF and the TSRA I'm offended by people that are easily offended.

January 1, 2017, 08:49 PM	#15
curt.45 Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2008 Location: Fort Wayne Ind. Posts: 866	yeah, some here, woke me up again this year. kinda makes me pucker and worry about my roof but dont think i heard any impacts.

January 2, 2017, 05:13 AM	#16
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	How did shotgun go to rifle and handgun?

January 2, 2017, 07:02 AM	#17
peggysue Junior member Join Date: May 20, 2014 Posts: 1,835	Big thing with the Hispanics in the Rio Grand Valley. Every year the McAllen TX tv station puts out notices against shooting in the sky on New Years eve.

January 2, 2017, 08:53 AM	#18
jhenry Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2006 Location: Ozarks Posts: 1,840	Folks fire off stuff here on New Years Eve every year. It's one of my favorite traditions. Tell me again how those bullets I fire into the ground can land on folks. I'm missing something here. __________________ "A Liberal is someone who doesn't care what you do, as long as it's mandatory". - Charles Krauthammer

January 2, 2017, 11:52 AM	#20
osbornk Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2012 Location: Mountains of Appalachia Posts: 1,598	It's not a thing we hillbillys here in the mountains of Virginia do. We grew up poor and shooting to make noise was a waste. You shot a shotgun only to kill something to eat or to dispose of predators. They still think I am stupid to waste money on target practice. You had a shotgun or 22 rifle and seldom found someone with a handgun because shooting a handgun seldom got us anything to eat. My Dad was an expert machine gunner and rifle marksman in World War II and I never saw him shoot a gun without hitting his target.

January 2, 2017, 12:05 PM	#21
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	Not so much here in Alabama, the red necks can't see the highway deer crossing signs in the dark. That is unless they are spot-lighting road signs.

January 2, 2017, 12:27 PM	#22
foolzrushn Senior Member Join Date: April 29, 2015 Location: middle of the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 396	I always thought that you were supposed to save some fireworks from the 4th. I think the sky shells??? ( shoot up and one big boom) are popular around here. But some maybe shotguns too. __________________ If you feel that you're pretty important...you should think about your significance to the Universe....and re-evaluate ! certified 'soap welder'

January 2, 2017, 01:09 PM	#23
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Oh boy! Another "We were so poor" story. When you run out of ammunition, come on up to the coal belt and we will show you how to snare deer and "Fish" for turkeys. We ate half the stuff we caught on our traplines after the hide was off. We were not that hard on them, but some people ate groundhog so often that it is amazing they are not extinct in this area. Last edited by Evan Thomas; January 2, 2017 at 04:58 PM. Reason: removed snarky comment.